Field
This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for monitoring rotating machinery, such as turbomachinery, using signals that have propagated from a transmitter to a receiver through a channel as waves in order to obtain information about the transmitter, the receiver, and/or the channel (including a target, such as turbomachinery equipment, located in the channel). More particularly, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for monitoring rotating machinery by performing coherent signal synthesis (at the transmitter) and/or analysis (at the receiver) to obtain information about the transmitter, receiver, and/or a frequency-selective channel, such as a multipath channel.
Description of the Related Art
The term turbomachinery generally describes a class of machines which are powered by, or harness energy from, a fluid (including liquids and gases). Turbomachinery can include, for example, turbines, which convert energy from a flowing fluid into rotary mechanical motion for performing work. Turbomachinery can also include compressors and fans, which use rotary mechanical motion to perform work on a fluid.
One important and ubiquitous type of turbomachinery is the gas turbine engine. Gas turbine engines are often used to provide thrust for airplanes or to power other types of vehicles or equipment. Generally speaking, a gas turbine engine includes a compressor with one or more stages which pressurize air. The pressurized air is then combined with fuel and combusted. The combustion generates a high temperature, high pressure flow of exhaust. A turbine is provided downstream and is used to harness energy from this exhaust flow. The turbine can in turn be used to power the compressor and other equipment, such as the fan in a turbofan engine.
Modern turbomachinery is often designed to satisfy a number of difficult operating requirements, including close mechanical tolerances, high temperatures, high pressures, high mechanical stresses, harsh operating environments, etc. Because of these difficult operating requirements, it would be desirable to have improved systems and methods for monitoring turbomachinery equipment and/or other types of machinery. Such monitoring can include testing, analyzing, characterizing, conducting failure detection and prediction, etc.